Top 10 - The Austin Chronicle

NEWStOp 10s continued from p.17a part of the memorial in front of esme barrera’s west campuscottage, where she was killed on New year’s day 2012Top 10 Criminal Justice Stories by JORdaN sM ith1) neW year’s Murder The murder of music fan extraordinaireesme Barrera, inside her rented cottage just north of the UT campusin the wee hours of Jan. 1, cast a pallor over the new year inCentral Austin, where Barrera’s enthusiasm for life touched many. Asthe year drew to an end, the investigation into her murder was officiallyclosed, and police point to a strong circumstantial case thatJames loren Brown was responsible for her death. He committedsuicide in mid-January 2012.2) aPd shootings On Good Friday, Austin Police Officer Jaime deluna-Padron was killed by 24-year-old Brandon daniel inside aNorth Austin Walmart. Padron was the first officer murdered in theline of duty since 1978, and Travis County District AttorneyRosemary Lehmberg announced in November that her office wouldseek the death penalty for Daniel. Just hours before Padron waskilled, APD Officer eric Copeland fatally shot ahmede Jabbar Bradleyafter Bradley fled on foot from a traffic stop, renewing questionsabout whether a low-level traffic stop should warrant a foot chase.3) JustiCe For CisCo The shooting of Cisco the dogby the APD became an international Facebook phenomenonand prompted the APD to say that it was reviewingits weapons policy concerning animals – promptingsome outrage that a similar review hasn’t followed theshooting of a person, including the then-recentlydeceased Bradley. The Cisco story took a darker turnwhen the credibility of his owner, Michael Paxton,became an issue after we discovered that he was theprimary suspect in two serious hit-and-run accidents.4) underCover dirk, riCk, and diCk We learnedin September that APD had, beginning last year, postedat least three undercover officers to keep tabs on thedoings of occupy austin. Whether their involvementalso enticed members to use so-called “dragonsleeves” during a Houston protest last December is nowan issue in court. Expect a resolution in early 2013.j a n a b i r c h u m5) death takes a holiday The Texas death machine hastaken a break for the holidays, but had us on our toes thisfall, with near-weekly executions scheduled and most carriedout. In all, Texas put to death 15 men in 2012. The statewill kick off 2013 with the rare execution of a woman, scheduledfor mid-January.6) arena goes hoMe After nearly 13 years in prison for acrime that even the alleged victim now says never occurred,Michael arena was finally released from prison in 2012. Arenawas accused of sexually molesting his then-7-year-old cousinStephanie, a crime she vociferously denies ever took place.Although Arena has not been officially exonerated, the state hasagreed that he should not have to register as a sex offender.7) sixth street noir The three yassine brothers – Mike,Steve, and Hadi – were the kings of sixth street. But theirDowntown bar empire collapsed on March 22 when the feds,local law enforcement, and the comptroller’s office knockeddown their doors with drug, gun, and money laundering charges,as well as tax avoidance allegations.8) tex-Mex With a side oF sMaCk? Fans of Jovita’swere stunned in June when amado Pardo, the patriarch ofthe South Austin brand, was among 18 arrested and chargedin connection with an investigation into heroin trafficking.Jovita’s, the feds have said, was a longtime hub for heroindealing in South Austin. Pardo remains in jail awaiting trial,slated for February.9) aCes high APD Chief art acevedo marked his fifthanniversary this summer as the city’s top cop. In that time,he’s won the praise of cops and civilians alike – and is consideredto be the most accessible and forward-thinking chiefthe city’s seen, even in the assessment of some of his mostpersistent critics.10) yogurt shoP Case still needs revieW The city’sPublic safety Com mis sion in June passed a resolution recommendingthat Council fund the independent review ofselected cold cases, beginning with the 1991 yogurt shopmurders. The resolution was prompted by PSC member KimRossmo’s concern that tunnel vision has infected the APD’sinvestigation – a concern brought into stark relief whenretired APD investigator Paul Johnson took the mic at thePSC’s May meeting to excoriate Rossmo for suggesting theAPD’s investigation might have been flawed.VOTED BESTKING CAKE5 YEARS476.0060 • 120 EAST 7THKING CAKE!Mardi Gras Seasonbegins: Jan. 6Mardi Gras: Feb. 1218 T H E A U S T I N C H R O N I C L E JANUARY 4, 2013 a u s t i n c h r o n i c l e . c o mWe knoW hoW to custom shape hats, kill fire ants & thread pipes.Hardware to western wear, Feed toseed and everytHing in between!501 Bastrop hWy. 78741 512-385-3452 callahansgeneralstore.com